My sister and her fiancé want my husband to marry them in their upcoming wedding. My husband has never been ordained before, but after some hunting online, it seems to be pretty easy/cheap.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Any recommendations? The denomination, etc. does not matter – the wedding is not taking place in a church and won’t be religious.
Check with your state* to see if there are any specific ordinations they don’t recognize. I know for a while New York (or maybe it was just New York City) was rejecting any marriage licenses that came back with a signature from a ULC (Universal Life Church) Minister. Whether or not that’s legal or even still the case, I can’t be sure.
I have my ordination through Universal Ministries, which can, I’m sure, be googled. They are themselves Christian, but don’t require it of their Ministers. I haven’t had any problem being recognized anywhere, either for weddings or for unrestricted hospital room access.
*Or the state she’ll be performing the wedding in, if it’s not her home state.
Check your local marriage laws. At one time, I believe, every state except New York recognized Universal Life Church, but that might have changed.
I’m ordained through ULC (plus another I can’t remember, and a Druid thing that’s probably not recognized), and have done several weddings.
ULC was free unless you want to buy some bling from them. I don’t even bother to carry the certificate I printed off the website since no one checks credentials.
If it’s not religious, he could be ordained as a notary public
I second everything WhyNot said.
I’m ordained through the Universal Life Church and, as far as quickie ordinations go, it was pretty slick. They basically have two “commandments” for their members, which can be paraphrased as “Endorse and uphold freedom of religion” and “Don’t be a jackass.” The ordination was free, and their website is http://themonastery.org/. They are recognized as a church in 49 states, with the exception being New York which has not granted them tax-exempt status.
I’ve performed three weddings so far, and it’s definitely an interesting experience. Practically, the biggest challenge is putting together the ceremony. What I’ve done is put together a portfolio of common ceremony formats with some recommended language and readings for each part of the ceremony (it’s amazing how much of this stuff is online). I then give it to the happy couple to look it over and eventually they get back to me with their preferences. It’s an iterative process, in that we usually go back-and-forth through several versions.
Performing the wedding itself is quite a bit of fun, as long as you don’t mind the whole public speaking thing. Plus, it’s pretty cool signing the marriage license.
I’m another ULC Minister and I’ve performed two weddings. It’s as easy as can be.
As others said, a wedding performed by someone who gets ordained for the sole purpose of performing a marriage may not be legal. See this recent article from the New York Times.
Colorado’s easy – just sign the marriage certificate, have it witnessed (possibly notarized) and you’ve entered into a legal marital covenant. No ceremony necessary.
I have a good friend and a brother who are “ordained” in the Church of Spiritual Humanism. My brother is a disc jockey and did it so he could marry a couple on the air on Valentine’s Day as part of a sales promotion. The promotion never came off, but he proudly displays the certificate. Google the church, pay the $15 and you’re ordained.
We wanted someone close to marry us and, because none of us are religious, my dad got ordained online so he could do the ceremony - through the Universal Matrix Church if I recall correctly. After receiving his ordination he took the papers to the parish courthouse (Louisiana) and registered as a non-denominational minister. I believe he chose to call himself that in answer to the question of ‘what denomination?’ so he wouldn’t get any static over giving the name of some off-the-wall church. It worked.
As has been said, check your state’s law. Remember to find out if it matters what county a person is registered in.
Sunday’s New York Times had an article about marriages performed by on-line ministers (registration may be required), noting such marriages may be invalid or of questionable validity in many states.
It worked for Joey Tribbiani on Friends. And he got to marry two of his buddies while still dressed in a WWI British Army uniform, so it’s all good.
I’m a defrocked minister from the ULC… My ordination was fine in California, but not accepted here in Canada…
And all along I was sure that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his right-wing “pro-family” Conservatives would welcome me with open arms…
It’s religious persecution I tell you! 
I’m a ULC minister and have performed two weddings, including one of a fellow SDMB member.
It’s a piece of cake, at least in Ohio. You can find wedding ceremonies online no problem, and provide a few to the happy couple to give them ideas.
Zombie, opened by spammer who I disappeared. Closed.
samclem Moderator